I've dealt with demons
by gloriousvikings
Summary: When Trigon captures Raven and attempts to return, her lover must journey into the bowels of the underworld. OC/Rae
1. Chapter 1

**I've dealt with demons…**

**Author's note: This story builds off my previous fiction "Knight and day" it is recommended thet you read that story first**

**Chapter 1- Titan's babysitting service**

"Pain and loss were born unto me by swift black wings, and they only served to torment the soul with endless suffering. But they fueled the rage that lay dormant within me, so that I might strike with the fury of a thousand men, and a thousand men would fall before the cold hand of death within me were it not for solace and meditation, the tools that tempered rage and anger. Balance is kept so justice can be had without death, and so that I am not consumed by the ghosts of my past." Knight said as he meditated. He sat cross legged on Raven's bed, Raven was meditating as well and she sat the same way on the opposite side of the bed, facing Knight. "Your poetry is solemn, but also dark and beautiful at the same time; it's interesting." Knight just nodded in response, not even opening his eyes. He began to chant as Raven had taught him, _Azuras mentreon zyntos, azuras mentreon zyntos. _She had taught him much about meditation. Her room was cast in shadow, it was only five in the morning and the sun had yet to rise. Neither Knight nor Raven wore any armor. Raven heard a small electronic beeping from her dresser and she got up and went over to it, opening the top drawer. It was her communicator. She flicked it open to reveal a small screen on it, featuring Robin. "Raven" he said "I've got a situation" Raven yawned; it had been a sleepless night. "What is it?" she asked flatly. "I'll brief you when I get back to the tower, just get yourself ready for action. And get Knight too; Robin out." Raven closed her communicator and walked over to Knight, who was still quietly meditating on her bed. _Azuras mentreon zyntos, azuras mentreon zyntos "_Knight" Raven said. _–mentreon zyntos azuras mentreon zyntos_ "Knight!" _zyntos azuras mentreon zynt-"_KNIGHT!" Raven shouted and smacked him. "whu, what?" he stammered, roused from his trance, "That was pretty amazing, I've never looked that deep into myself before. Why does my face hurt?"Knight asked as he rubbed his cheek. "Go get your armor on; Robin said we need to be ready." Raven said as she strapped on some of the armor Knight had made for her. "Right" Knight said and he left for his room.

Raven didn't always wear all of her armor. This time she wore metal on her head, neck, right arm, and lower legs. She walked into the main room of titan's tower, draped in her blue cloak. He black helmet was well polished and the over head lights reflected off its smooth surface. Her face was hidden within the confines of the helm, her eyes invisible behind the dark visor slit. Robin was waiting for her. "Where's Knight?" he asked. "Right here!" Knight called as he hopped into the room of one foot; his other leg was raised into the air as he attempted to both move and buckle a strap on his lower right leg. He got it; then kicked slightly, testing to make sure everything was secured properly. "Right then" Robin began, "This mission is, peculiar. It's a local boy, his name is Thomas and he is around eight years old. He lives with his mother, who is out of town. I need you two to go and make sure this kid is safe."

Knight looked skeptical, though Robin could not see it through his helmet. "I know things have been slow for the past week, but I think converting the titans into a baby-sitting service is a little drastic." Robin looked annoyed. He went over to the main screen and pulled up police files on the case. "No one was willing to watch the poor kid; everyone thinks his house is haunted. So, they sent a policeman." Raven crossed her arms "I fail to see where we come in." Robin did some more typing "they found that policeman early this morning, his back was broken and he had gone insane over something that attacked him. Thankfully the kid is alright." For the first time in a long time, Knight felt a ping of fear. "Oh" he said "Why are you sending Raven and I?" Robin closed the files on screen and yawned, he had spent all night on patrol. "Though I hate to admit it, you too are the best at dealing with fear. Whatever this thing is, it's probably pretty scary. That and Thomas likes medieval knights and such, so you two will feel familiar to him, he's awfully scared right now."

Knight checked his armor over one more time, making sure everything was correct. Robin gave him the address and left to catch up on some much needed sleep. Knight turned to Raven as he re-secured his helmet "I'm not exactly good with kids" he said. Raven tried to console her friend "I've handled children before, it's not so bad." Knight nodded and started for the garage. He placed a lance at the side of his cycle, in case he should have need of it. He climbed in place and Raven straddled the seat behind him. She wrapped her arms around his torso and they sped off through the cool night air.

The house wasn't far, just a thirty minute ride from the tower. When they pulled up, Raven got her first good look at the place. It was old; probably form the turn of the century. The house was fairly large and made of brick, which had faded over time. There was a tower on its left side that was covered in the embrace of hundreds of vines. Most of its windows were dark and empty, for a moment Raven thought she saw something in one of them; but it was probably just her imagination. The entrance was surrounded by a couple police cars and an ambulance. Raven dismounted with Knight and followed him, as they passed she could see the fallen officer. His back was skewed at an unnatural angle and a look of horror was plastered on his face as they wheeled him away on a stretcher, mumbling insanely. Needless to say it was not an encouraging sight. Raven rarely felt fear, but as she stepped inside the houses gloomy interior, she felt wrong. Something in the air told her to turn and run out the door. But Raven was a strong girl and she stood her ground. An officer pointed them up the mahogany stairs to Thomas's room. She nudged Knight with her elbow, "take off your helmet" she said "It'll freak him out if he can't see your face." Knight did as Raven instructed.

Raven and Knight walked into Thomas's room. It was painted a bright red. There was a book shelf on the far wall, and a toy box next to it. His bed was small, befitting of his size. It was situated at the far end of the room, next to the closet. Bright blue blankets covered it and there were numerous stuffed animals strewn a top the bed. A large poster of a knight was pinned to the wall above it. Thomas was curled up in a ball in the corner. A female police officer was doing her best to coax him out as Knight and Raven walked in. Thomas looked up as he heard the metal clanking of their armor. His face was stained with tears as he ran over and grabbed Knight's leg. Knight looked surprised as Thomas smiled up at him. "They sent real knights to fight the ugly?" he asked. Knight improvised, he got down on one knee so that he was level with the small boy. "Sure did" Knight began "I am Knight, this is my friend Raven. We're here to make sure your safe." Thomas just hugged armored leg harder, "can you do it?" he asked "can you make the ugly go away?" Knight put a hand on his shoulder "Of course! We're knights silly!" Knight looked up at Raven, she nodded. "You're doing great" Raven whispered. "Thomas" Knight started, "can you tell me anything about the ugly; have you seen it?" The boy withdrew, he looked frightened. "I have" he said.


	2. Chapter 2

**I've dealt with demons…**

**Chapter 2- the ugly**

"It hurts people" Thomas said "like that police man who came" Knight nodded his understanding, "can you tell me what it looks like?" he asked. Thomas seemed to shiver. "It's big and white, you can see right through it. It has red eyes, four of them." Knight and Raven exchanged worried glances; the minions of Trigon often had four eyes. When he turned back to Thomas, Knight's expression softened. "Enough about the ugly, we'll show him whose boss soon enough." Knight sat down, cross-legged. "I hear you like knights" he said. Thomas turned and started towards his toy box. As soon as he wasn't looking, Knight gestured toward the door and mouthed the word "go" to Raven. She got the message and left to stake out the house. Thomas brought over an assortment of toys, small plastic Knights and a plastic helmet, just his size. Thomas showed each one to Knight, explaining the small figure's name and personality. Knight took each one carefully, pretending to be very interested. Of course, the only thing on Knight's mind was how historically inaccurate the small figures were. "That's really cool!" Knight said as he inspected a miniature king Arthur. In his mind, he frowned. _King Arthur never wore plate armor!_ he thought.

Meanwhile, Raven searched the house, moving from room to room and doing her best to sense any spiritual presence. While the house was old, and very unnerving, she couldn't sense anything out of place; on an energetic level anyway. Raven could sense no presence, and no one had ever died in the house. In spiritual sense, all was quiet; until she entered the basement. The floor boards creaked underneath her as she took hold of the glass doorknob and carefully pulled the door open. The basement itself was creepy enough. It was at least one hundred years old, and a dirt floor. The foundation of the house was made of field stones, and that made up the walls surrounding Raven. Water had seeped in from recent rain fall, and it looked almost as thought the walls were bleeding. The lighting was poor and the ceiling was low. Raven bumped her head on here first attempt to advance further into the basement, and she silently thanked Knight for making her the helmet she wore. Above, the ceiling was covered in spiders and spider webs. Raven wasn't afraid of spiders; she just saw them as misunderstood creatures, like herself. Although so many of them looming over her head was still a bit unnerving. She moved deeper into the basement. She started to feel something, a disturbance of energy. She felt herself drawn to the back of the room, towards the boilers. New heating systems had been put in years ago, but the old boilers still remained, rusted and derelict. She touched the wall with her armored hand. She could feel something dark, but it was residual; whatever it was had left… recently.

Raven returned to find Knight quietly playing with Thomas. She leaned on the door frame and watched him. He looked so gentle and for a moment, a small smile touched Raven's lips and a thought crossed her mind, a thought of one day having a son of her own; with Knight. Knight looked over at his friend. "Excuse me" he politely said to Thomas as he got up. He walked over to Raven, and they went out in the hall. "Did you sense anything?" he asked, looking into her visor slit. Raven nodded, "there's nothing here now, but there was earlier. It was powerful. This thing, I think it may return, and it may be demonic." Knight turned to go back to Thomas's room, but Raven caught his arm. "Knight" she began, "that night in the tunnels, you said you've dealt with demons before. What happened?" Knight's face went pale. "It's not an experience I like to remember" Knight said. "What happened years ago may prove useful now, I need to know" Raven explained. Knight sighed as though she had just told him he needed to die, "very well" he said. He told Thomas that he and Raven had to discuss some very important things, and that he would be back in a little while. Knight went to the master bedroom, and as soon as Raven walked in, he closed the door. Raven took off her helmet and sat cross legged in front of Knight, who was sitting on the bed. Knight took a deep breath and collected himself. "I need you to remember what happened that day." Raven said; Knight's brows furrowed in concentration. Raven placed two fingers on his temple, there was a flash of light, and then darkness surrounded her.

When Raven came to, she was no longer Raven. She saw everything through Knight's eyes. She was in a crypt. The walls were made of carved stone, and ancient bones were laid on shelves to either side of her. The place was lit by torches along the walls, which cast only enough light to see by. She was running, her heart beat incredibly fast as she tore through ancient tomb; running into spider webs. She could feel the fear and she knew something was chasing her, something evil. She looked behind her and saw a dark mist, it grew closer and closer. Raven tried to run faster, but then she stopped. Her body just froze, and it felt as though something else had taken control of her. "No" she said, but it was Knight's voice. Then she screamed, she could feel the thing flowing into her, polluting her body with its darkness. She tried to keep running, running towards the exit, the mausoleum doors were mere feet away. But the thing was pulling her back. It writhed inside of her and tried to take her deeper into the crypt. Raven fought it; she was stronger in Knight's body, every muscle felt like it burned as her mind and the demon fought for control of her body. Her leg wrenched out at an unnatural angle and she cried out and pain and collapsed. "Leave me!" she screamed, and Raven lay convulsing on the ground. She crawled, inching her way towards the exit which seemed so close. The pain was unbearable as the darkness tore through her. Her left arm began to shake uncontrollable and her legs burst out in spasms, she cried out again and pulled herself along with just her one arm. She could feel like she was losing control, as though Raven was being forced out of her own body. Finally, her arm found the light of day. As soon as the sun's rays cast their glow on her hand, the demon left. It echoed an unearthly scream as it withdrew from Knight's body. She lay on the ground, dehydrated, drenched in sweat, and unable to so much as move. Her vision faded in and out of focus. The image was fuzzy, but someone was coming towards her. It was a priest leaving the chapel nearby. He noticed Raven and quickly ran over to her. He put his hand on Knight's shoulder, and then she lost consciousness.

Raven returned to the real world. She was covered in sweat, but at least she was in her own body. Raven stumbled back and caught herself on a chair, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry" she said "I shouldn't have made you re-live that." Knight looked just as exhausted as she did, he must have had the same experience. "That priest saved my life" Knight explained "His name was father Sammons. He was the one who blessed my sword, and when he did I delved back into that ancient crypt and slew the vile creature." Knight paused for a moment to catch his breath, "did you find what you were looking for?" he asked. Raven shook her head. Knight just shrugged, "So be it; It was worth a shot." Knight was still shaking as he got up, and he held out a hand to help Raven to her feet. "You'd better talk to Thomas, he doesn't know you yet." Knight said as he started for the door. He opened it, and nearly ran right into the young boy who was standing just outside the door, clutching a plastic sword. "Are you okay?" he asked "I heard both of you yell like you were hurt." Raven leaned down to the concerned boy "We're fine" Raven said, trying her best to recompose herself and act as though nothing had happened. She ruffled his hair slightly. "So what's this I hear about King Arthur?" Raven asked.


	3. Chapter 3

**I've dealt with demons…**

**Chapter 3- Fear itself**

For Raven and Knight the rest of the day was comprised primarily of small plastic knights, stuffed animals, storytelling, and even basic swordsmanship. The two heroes treated Thomas as though he was their son and the day was pleasant and relaxing. But by seven, the sun had begun to set on the horizon. "We'll be right here if you need us" Knight said as he tucked the young boy into bed. After Thomas was asleep, Raven and Knight retreated to the porch in order to see the later part of the sunset. Thomas's mother was fairly wealthy, and the house sat on a hill overlooking the forest and mountains beyond. Knight watched the sun retreat behind the hills as though it was melting butter. He and Raven talked for awhile, and eventually the conversation came to one of Raven's past adventures. "So it turned out," Raven explained "that there was no monsters at all." Knight looked intrigued, "Really? Then what was it?" he asked. "I wouldn't admit that I was afraid, so my powers sort of used themselves as an outlet for my fear and created the foul things. Remember my abilities are fueled by emotion." Knight nodded thoughtfully, "I guess mine are too; of course, I have never counted going berserk as a power, that's just adrenaline." Raven shrugged and the two sat in silence for awhile as the sun finally completed its descent and plunged the world into darkness. Raven could hear bugs buzz and fly around the porch light, which glowed yellow above her head. "Knight" she asked "what are you afraid of; ghosts, monsters?" Knight sat back in his chair and chewed his lip lightly, "No, nothing I know isn't real. Or can be beaten with a sword." Knight thought for a moment, "I'd say… dismemberment, paralyzation, torture, drowning, and losing any of my friends, especially you." _Torture _Raven thought, and her eyes lingered for a moment on the scar down his right eye. "Not death?" Raven asked. Knight smirked as he got up, "I had hoped that after that night, you probably would've figured out I have no sense of self- preservation. Not when things far more important than me are at stake." Knight traced his scar with his finger, "I'll go check on Thomas."

Thomas was still fast asleep; the blankets rose and fell steadily with his soft breathing. Knight smiled a bit to himself; _one day_ he thought. Suddenly, he heard a sound. It sounded like footsteps below him, from the lower floor. "Raven?" he called, but Knight's voice was met with silence. He drew his blade. Knight crept down the dark stairs, towards where the sound had originated from. He moved slowly, carefully placing each foot forward, listening intently. "Knight?" Raven asked, he jumped and his sword was mid swing before Knight stopped himself."Oh" he gasped, "it's just you." Raven shrugged, "yeah, this place is pretty creepy. It's almost as bad as that movie, Wicked Scary. I had nightmares like you couldn't believe from that." Knight sheathed his weapon, his expression grew dark. "You have no idea what my nightmares are like." Raven took his hand and gave it a small squeeze. Raven and Knight returned to Thomas's room and hunkered down for the night. Raven slept in a chair while Knight took the first watch; he was a light sleeper anyway. For hours nothing happened, Knight read a book about Gothic architecture while he guarded Thomas, all was quiet. Then he heard it.

It was barely audible at first; and it sounded like a drum beat. Knight glanced up from his book. He poked his head out the door and saw nothing. Knight closed the door and returned to his reading, _I'm probably just imagining things_ he thought. But as soon as he turned the page it sounded again; it seemed closer and slightly louder, a deep boom. Once more Knight got up and looked out into the hallway; he was met only with darkness. Again, the sound echoed through the old house, seemingly closer. "Damn" Knight muttered as he walked over and roused his comrade. "Raven" he whispered, "It think we have company." Raven nodded sleepily and put on her helmet. The crashing began to sound at a steady tempo. It grew louder and louder, closer and closer until it was earsplitting. Still, Thomas slept peacefully, it seemed impossible as Knight nearly had a headache. The booming grew louder still and this time it was accompanied by laughter. Knight drew his sword and black energy glowed in Raven's hands. Every muscle in his body tensed, ready for a fight. Then, the booming stopped. Something even worse happened. The door knob began to turn, slowly. It moved as though someone or something was trying to get in, eerily squeaking as it did so. Knight took a defensive stance. Then, the doorknob stopped, and the booming resumed. It was growing softer and Knight could tell it was moving down the hall, away from him. He was shaken by the experience but not deterred. The armored man threw open the door and turned, pointing his blade towards where the sound had gone but there was nothing. No deep boom, no four eyed ugly staring back at him.

Raven stepped out next to Knight "It's toying with us." Knight nodded. As he sheathed his weapon, something took hold of him and Raven. Knight couldn't see it, but he could feel the thing yank him back with incredible force, he dropped his sword. He was pulled down one end of the hall and Raven was pulled away from him, she screamed and disappeared into the darkness. "RAVEN!" Knight yelled but he got no reply, he struggled and fought his way free and ran down the hall towards where Raven had gone. He could almost see her; he could hear her muffled cries. Knight finally reached the end of the hall. There was some sort of portal; ghostly white claws were pulling Raven inside. She screamed and struggled against her captures and a pale hand was clasped over her mouth. In the portal, Knight could see fire, fire and a desolate land. Hell; Raven was being sucked into the jaws of oblivion. "NO!" Knight shouted and he jumped, holding out his hand to Raven. She held out her own, but at the last second, Raven lost the battle and she was pulled away, she was sucked into the portal and disappeared. Knight's hand was met only with empty air. The portal was gone, and he was left alone.

Knight screamed and punched the wall, leaving a gaping hole. He sank to his knees, exhausted and genuinely afraid. …_and losing any of my friends, especially you _Knight's own words echoed in his mind like an omen of doom. Knight just ran, he ran straight to Thomas. "I must go" Knight panted, "Take this and call Robin, he can help." Knight didn't wait for a response from Thomas as he placed his communicator in his small hand. It was all a trap set by Trigon and Knight had fallen for it. Now Raven had to pay the price. Knight threw open the door into the cool night air. He ran right to his bike and leaped on, but then he stopped. Where could he go? He couldn't just ride to the underworld. Knight had to think, other than dying, how could he get to Raven? He needed someone with dark powers, a witch of sorts. Knight racked his brain, and then suddenly he had it. Knight didn't know where to find her, but he had a hunch.


	4. Chapter 4

**I've dealt with demons…**

**Chapter 4- I need to go to hell**

Knight could finally see his destination. He pulled off the side road and into a cracked and neglected looking parking lot. Ahead of him stood a faded brick wall and a rusted iron gate that towered above him. Old newspapers skidded across the ground like tumble weeds in the breeze as Knight walked up to gates. Next to him there was what looked like a derelict ticket booth, the glass was broken. On it there was a sign, it was mostly torn and faded, but Knight could still make out the words amusement park. _So I have come to the right place_ he thought. There was a lock and chain on the gate, but Knight's dagger sliced through the inferior metal almost effortlessly. The gate swung open with an eerie creaking sound. All around were the remains of what once was a place of joy. Skeletons of rides still remained, rusted iron webs that once had been speedy roller coasters or a Ferris wheel, it was hard to tell. The moon was full and bright and it gave Knight enough light to see by. Nature had reclaimed most of the abandoned park as he strode through the ruins. Vines had covered the house of mirrors in the summer and many of the smaller buildings had succumbed to the elements and collapsed. Knight stopped in front of a sign which offered directions. The paint was peeling away and was barely legible but he could make out the words "Story-Ville" the sign pointed down a dark path further into the trees. Knight followed the path; it was a yellow brick road, like the wizard of Oz. He passed structures made to look like those from children's stories. Goldie- locks and the three bears, the gingerbread man, Cinderella, each was a faded relic. Until, Knight came upon what he sought after, it was Hansel and Gretel. Knight could see the witch's cottage, with fake candy adorning its sides, but as Knight had hoped the windows were lit and smoke curled from the chimney.

"Witch!" Knight called as he threw open the door. "Hello dear" replied Mother Mae-eye. She was busy cooking; it looked like she was baking a pie. She reached down and lit her wood fire stove. She turned and Knight could see her true form, three pale green eyes stared hungrily at him. "Would you like to stay for some pie? It's almost ready." Knight just growled angrily and strode up to Mae-Eye; he looked tall and imposing in his black armor. "You are a witch, you draw your power from the underworld, do you not?" he asked. Mother Mae- Eye just smiled back at him. "Now that's not a very nice name to call your mother" Knight had enough. He grabbed May-eye by her shoulders and pinned her against the wall, "You are a WITCH, you draw you power from the underworld, DO YOU NOT!" Her smile vanished "Fine, if it means so much to you… yes." Knight dropped Mae-eye, "I need to go to hell." She floated over and checked on her stove, she looked in and was dissatisfied with its current state, so she left it. "Well by all means do" she smiled. Knight growled like a wounded wolf, 'NO! I need to go there, and get back out again" he snapped. Mae-eye frowned, "Well, I don't know why you would need to do that, but why should I help you? You're awfully rude, and judging by that shiny brass cross riveted to your face, I'm willing to bet we won't be the best of friends." Knight drew his sword, he edged closer, and as he did so the blade began to glow. Mae-eye stepped back, she was sweating and Knight could see genuine fear in her eyes. She was backed up against the wall and still Knight advanced, bringing the point of his greatsword ever closer. The blade glowed brighter as it grew nearer, Knight ever so gently pressed the tip to Mother Mae-eye's flesh and it began to sizzle, leaving a small burn mark. "Stop!" she shouted, "I'll help you, just get that thing away from me!"

Knight sheathed his sanctified weapon as Mae eye rummaged through a chest. After a minute or two of sifting, she found what she was looking for. It was a small red stone, with a black center. "I can get you in, flesh, bones and all" she explained, "but you'll need someone else, someone on the inside who has some kind of connection to the underworld to get you out." Knight thought for a moment. Raven could get him out, but if he didn't find Raven Knight would be trapped in hell forever. Of course, Raven was all Knight had left in the world, if he couldn't find her, it didn't really matter. "Do it" Knight said, collecting himself. Mae-eye smiled "Ah, so now I know what you're looking for. Lost your little raven have you?" Knight growled and took a half hearted swipe at her with his dagger. "Don't patronize me" he said through clenched teeth. Mae-eye muttered a few strange words and drew her finger down the length of the stone. As she finished, a portal opened up before Knight. Inside there was blackness. May-eye gave him the stone and he placed it in his leather pouch. Knight took one last look around at the world he lived in. Then he took a deep breath, and stepped into the portal.

When Raven came to she was unable to move. Her arms were chained to two blood red pillars of stone. She was in a huge cavern. Below her was a lake of fire and she was held captive on an island of rock. Ahead of her was a giant rock wall with four disembodied red eyes gleaming down at her. "Trigon" Raven said, "I thought I took care of you." Trigon merely laughed, his voice was deep and booming like an earthquake, it seemed to come from the very earth itself. "Foolish girl" he began "you cannot destroy me! I am evil incarnate. All you did was delay the inevitable." Raven struggled against her bonds but it did little good, "I will stop you!" she exclaimed. Again Trigon just chuckled, "How, with your little tin soldier? Yes Raven, I have been watching you and him, it has been an amusing game to witness. I might have even considered letting you keep him as a pet, but sadly, no remnant of you will remain once my plan is complete." Raven growled like an angry animal and clenched her fists. "Ah" Trigon said, "Here he is now. I must say he is really quite resourceful, not many can enter my domain, but I was counting on him." Raven's eyes widened _he's here! _she thought _that fool, how did he get here! _Desperately she tried to make contact with Knight telepathically. _Go! _She screamed in her mind _Get out of here, leave me! It's a tra-_"I'm afraid I can't have you talking with him just yet" Trigon said calmly, a bolt of red lightning shot from the wall and struck Raven directly in her chest. The eyes faded and disappeared from the wall. The pillars Raven was secured to crumbled to the ground, freeing her. She stood up and smiled, brushing the dust off herself, under her helmet gleamed four red eyes.

For a moment Knight felt cold and strange, he saw nothing but darkness. Suddenly it felt as if the ground beneath him had vanished, he felt as though he was falling, tumbling through a bottomless abyss. Knight closed his eyes, when he opened them he was standing on solid ground once more. At first, Knight wasn't sure if his vision was working correctly. The world around him was a blur of scarlet red, a minute passed and Knight shook off the feeling of dizziness, clearing his sight. All around him was a desolate and alien world. Everything around him was red, blood red. The sand beneath his feet, the rocks around him, even the sky. The sky looked unnatural, rather than a sun, there was what looked like a black hole, a swirling mass of energy surrounded by crimson. Knight felt alone, as though he was the only living being in this barren wasteland. But he collected himself and started forward. Around him there were jagged rocks the shot up from underneath the sand. Fires burned here and there, with no fuel underneath them. Lava was also common, it formed pools in the rock and sand, which Knight carefully steered clear of. He stopped, in his mind he almost thought he could hear Raven, calling to him, warning him to turn back. Perhaps he was just imagining things. Besides, Knight couldn't turn back. If he didn't find Raven he would be trapped here… forever.


	5. Chapter 5

**I've dealt with demons…**

**Chapter 5- Old enemies**

_Damn it! _Knight thought. He knew he had passed that rock before. He had wandered the wasteland for what seemed like an eternity, and he was going in circles. This time, Knight took another path that lead through the blood-red rocks to his left. He was surrounded by high cliffs. Perhaps if he had a better view, he could discern were Raven might be being held. The rocky cliffs were jagged and full of foot holds. Knight drew his crossbow and loaded it with a grappling bolt. Taking careful aim he fired upward, towards the top of the ravine. The bolt arced up over the ridge and out of view. When he heard the clink of metal on rock, Knight pulled on the line; it grew taught and held his weight. Satisfied, he headed up the cliff hoisting himself on the line. Upward and upward he ascended, he looked down at the ground which seemed impossibly far away. Once again he pulled on the line and was horrified as he gave way. Shards of rock rained down above him and his bolt pulled free. He lost his balance and tumbled downwards to the jagged and deadly looking rocks below; at the last moment he drew his dagger and plunged it into the cliff wall, barely avoiding a deadly fall. Shaken but not deterred, Knight resumed his climb until he finally threw his arm over the top of the wall. Even from this new vantage point Knight couldn't discern much. Trigon's domain was vast and barren. With his armored hand Knight scanned the horizon until he saw some form of tower. It wasn't too far away, and as Knight drew closer he could see its features in detail. It was made entirely of what looked to be iron, with no windows. At its top was an evil looking crown of spikes and at the bottom were two huge doors.

The interior was dimly lit by torches and it was bathed in red light as Knight heaved with all his might, forcing the iron door open. The room was circular and the walls were covered in shelves. On each shelf various instruments of torture were laid about, in the center of the room was situated a chair covered in spikes. In the chair sat the rotten corpse of what once was a man, his jaw was open and horror was plastered across was left of his face. Knight shivered at the sight, it chilled him to his bones. But too much was at stake to run and hide, and he pressed on through a door to his left. Up he went through a winding iron staircase, passing ominous doors on either side of him. Eventually he could go no further. His path was blocked by an iron door, which he assumed led to the top. With his shoulder he forced the entry way open. Inside he was greeted with some kind of torture room. In the middle sat an iron cage with dozens of irons spikes inside. A demonic voice bellowed from behind him, "You: mortal, you do not belong here! Your soul is forfeit, your flesh is mine!" The voice sounded like breaking glass and Knight instinctively dodged to one side, barely avoiding the charging enemy. Knight got a good look at the denizen of Trigon's domain. It stood ten feet tall and had the body of a strong man, but the head of some sort of bull- like creature. Jagged horns sprung from its head and four red eyes gleamed on a horrid face that bore some sort of pig snout for a nose. In one hand it held a flail and on its chest it wore a metal breastplate that look blackened and old. The weapon was impossibly large and covered in spikes; no human could have possibly wielded such a flail. The creature roared in rage and swung the massive weapon over its head, swinging it down straight towards Knight, who was nearly obliterated by it. Left and right it struck, the ground seemed to quake with it's every impact and Knight was forced the duck and dive for survival. He sprung behind a heavy iron table as cover and racked his brain, what was the weakness of the flail? Then he remembered that it was useless defensively, but how could Knight get on the offensive without being crushed?

He didn't have time to reload his crossbow. Knight took one of his explosive bolts; he tripped the timer then counted to three; not two or four. The demon was quite surprised when Knight sprang from cover and hurled the projectile like a grenade. The armored warrior rolled and turned away as a massive explosion went off. The creature was mostly unharmed, but it stopped swinging its weapon and stumbled back, as soon as it did so it lost control of the flail. Knight saw his chance and swung into action, drawing his greatsword and slashing about. The demon desperately tried to avoid the attacks but it didn't have a chance to get his flail spinning again. Knight managed to lightly slash across his enemy's unearthly face; it cried out in pain and stumbled around. Knight turned and ran at the wall, with his momentum he kicked off the surface and flew straight at the monster. With all his might Knight slashed at the vile thing, his blade sliced cleanly through its massive neck; then the beast fell to the ground in a motionless heap. "Well done" said a voice Knight knew all too well. He turned, still panting from exertion, and faced the center of the room. Knight hadn't even noticed that the iron cage had been occupied; from within its metal web a man stood up. He was covered in blood and only wore a few tattered rags of clothing, but Knight knew that evil face anywhere.

"Seth" Knight said, "For some reason, I'm not the least bit surprised to find you here. Did you finally meet up with the family you missed so much?" he walked up to cage and peered at Seth, who smiled evilly back at him. "I did, then I was dragged away to pay for my crimes" Seth gestured at the various instruments of pain that lay strewn about the room. "Hope you rot" Knight sneered and he turned to leave. "Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you" Seth called after him. "You're not me" Knight retorted and pushed open the door. "You'll never find Raven. " At this Knight stopped and looked round "how would you know why I'm here?" Seth chuckled, "All the guards have been talking about it. Trigon wants to use Raven's power to resume his reign on earth. I know where she's being kept, and I doubt you do." Once more Knight approached his old enemy, "Why would you help me?" Seth's eyes narrowed, "because if you fail, you'll be stuck here. Congratulations, you have the honor of being my most hated enemy. Spending an eternity with you would truly be hell, so I hope you'll allow me to send you on your merry way."Knight thought for a second, he could see no hint of deception in Seth's cold eyes, but he still wasn't convinced. Even still, he was out of options. Knight drew his dagger and slashed at the rusty iron lock on the door. Seth smiled again and stepped out as the cage door fell open, "freedom" he said, inhaling deeply as though he was in fresh mountain air. The wind was instantly knocked out of him as Knight slammed Seth to the ground, pinning him down and nearly suffocating him with the weight of his armored body. Knight pushed his dagger to Seth's throat, "if you betray me, I will make you wish as though you'd never been born. I'm sure Trigon will make us spend _a lot_ of time together."

"Has the armored one found his old enemy?" Raven asked one of the guards. "Yes, lord Trigon." The guard replied with his strange mouth, his body was made of fire and he held a deadly looking spear. "Good" Raven replied "Everything is going according to plan, Seth will lead the armored one to me, and then I will use my daughter's body to fool him. The stone will be in my hands before long, and then I can re-take my rightful place as ruler of the mortal world." Raven walked through a stone entry way and followed the guard into another blood red hallway. The hall angled down and Raven descended deeper and deeper into its depths. They passed iron gates the revealed the inside of cells and rooms of torture. The screams of mortals echoed off the blood colored stones until they seemed to melt into one another in a single cry of anguish. After maybe twenty minutes of walking the demonic party came upon an unoccupied cell. The guard opened the gate with his massive and fiery hand. The interior was bleak and dark. Two stone pillars stood in the center, and off to the side was a table with rusted torture tools strewn across its surface; covered in a thick layer of dust. The only light came from a torch on the left wall. Raven stepped inside and stood between the two pillars, extending her arms so that the guard could easily fasten the chains in place. As he chained each of her hands down, he spoke; "why do we not simply kill the armored one and take the stone sire?" Raven smiled under her helmet, her four red eyes narrowing "you're welcome to try, in fact, please do. The armored one is no fool, if things are too easy, he may begin to suspect my plan. Kill him, or die trying."


	6. Chapter 6

**I've dealt with demons…**

**Chapter 6- Lost and Found**

Seth led the way through the wastes of Trigon's domain. Knight followed closely behind him, his armored boots crunching through the sandy ground. This place was not for the living, and Knight didn't belong here; he could feel it almost… consuming him. It felt as though Knight's essence was being drained with every second. Seth talked away, doing his best to annoy his armored companion in any way possible. Knight said nothing for a time, just endured, until finally he spoke, "I should have killed you when I had the chance" Knight grumbled. Seth stopped abruptly and the armored warrior nearly ran into him, "no" Seth replied, "Andrew should have killed me when he had the chance." Knight's eyes narrowed, "what do you mean?" Seth scowled and face looked as though he had just drank rotten milk, "the brat who fought and killed my family years ago no longer exists, you died too that day boy, and Knight took his place." Seth continued on his way, leaving Knight to his thoughts. _He's right _Knight thought_ I may have fought for good, but the me that used to exist died the day I killed another man. _Knight did not give Seth the pleasure of a response, though Seth knew the damage was done. He smirked to himself and continued onward.

The path they had been following weaved through a series of jagged ravines that twisted and turned through the blood red rocks. Ahead loomed what looked like a huge cavern, the rock formed a gaping hole in the cliff side, and only darkness lay beyond. Knight walked up to the entrance and peered inside. Spider webs covered the interior, and they moved slightly as a soft wind blew from inside, it sounded like the mountain was sighing. "You first" Seth said, gesturing inside. Knight frowned, "coward… always having others do your dirty work." Seth just smiled, "relax, it was no hired assassin who killed your friends and family, I shot your girlfriend myself." Knight struck him hard across his face, knocking Seth to the ground, as soon as he got up Knight pushed the point of his dagger to his throat, "you're lucky I need you" Knight growled, then he withdrew and started into the cave. Seth rubbed his jaw and followed after him. The passage grew narrower and darker until Knight could just barely squeeze between the rocks, slashing through spider webs with his dagger and holding his flashlight in the other hand. "Why are there so many webs, I didn't know you had spiders here!" Seth glanced around nervously, "we do…" his voice trailed off. Ungh! Knight tripped on a rock and fell to the ground, his flash light spinning away. When he got up there was nothing but darkness, but Knight knew he had entered a large cavern, which thankfully was much less claustrophobic. "Seth!" he called, "Seth?" but his voice was met with only silence. _Damn it, the fool must have abandoned me!_ Knight thought. His flash light lay a few feet away from him, its beam illuminating a point on the wall. He began to walk over to it, but his progress was hindered by what felt like... more spider webs? Knight cut and slashed his way through with his dagger, blindly maneuvering towards the light. _Stupid spiders, how did the make this much web?_ Finally Knight reached down and picked his light up. He tossed in the air slightly then caught it, turning around as he did so. His eyes were met with pure horror.

His beam cast light upon a creature straight from hell. It had the body of a spider, with great hairy black legs that extended into all directions and a huge black abdomen marked with red. But, it's most horrifying feature was that the upper half of the creature was the body of a women, pale and slender. Its head was a combination of human and arachnid, four red eyes gazed hungrily at Knight and hands with deadly claws swiped at him, knocking his flashlight to the ground. It flickered; then died. Though he could not see, Knight drew his blade and swung where the foul creature stood. The thing backed away and Knight's attack sliced only through the inky blackness. He took a defensive stance and stood perfectly still. He remembered the Batman's training, _you'll need to see without being able too, and you must learn to make full use of your other senses. _He could hear a kind of insect like chattering, it echoed throughout the cave. _Wait and listen, if you stay still, then your enemy must attack you and reveal them self in the process._ Knight waited and listened, the stones shifted to his left and he turned quickly, angling his sword in the direction of the disturbance. There was silence once more. Knight's breathing slowed, he concentrated on his environment. _Become one with the darkness, feel your surroundings._ Knight closed his eyes, he could almost feel… The creature emitted a shrill cry of agony as Knight turned ninety degrees, swinging his blade as he did so and delivering a killing blow. The cry lasted but a moment before it then died away, and the darkness was once more still.

Knight fumbled around through the darkness, groping for his flashlight. Minutes passed; then finally he gripped it with his armored hand. He lifted it and tried the switch, nothing happened. But then, with a firm smack of his hand, the beam was more sprung to life. Knight turned and made the mistake of illuminating his fallen adversary. The demon lay on its back, eight legs curled inward; one of them twitching slightly. Red blood poured from a deep wound on its upper body and a look of horror was frozen upon its inhuman face, the thing's jaw was skewed to the side and blood dripped from its open mouth. For a moment, Knight almost felt pity… almost. Knight withdrew a rag from his pouch and cleaned blood from his greatsword before sheathing it on his back. MMmmf, MMhhmmff! Knight heard from behind him. He shone his flashlight in the direction of the noise. It was Seth, wrapped in spider webs, his mouth covered by the sticky strands. At least he had not abandoned Knight as he had first suspected. Knight gazed up at his old enemy and sighed, "You know, I am tempted to leave you there." Mmph? MMmmph! Knight scowled and cut Seth down; he landed on the gravel floor with a resounding crunch, spitting out spider webs as he did so. "Thanks" Seth said sarcastically as he brushed himself off. Knight ignored the disrespect in his tone, "nice shortcut" he said as he gestured to the corpse of the fallen demon. Seth just shrugged, "it wasn't here last time." Knight raised an eyebrow "last time?" he asked. Seth felt around the cave wall, searching until he found a certain piece of rock, it shifted when he pushed it. "I was being held here first, I escaped… temporarily." Seth pushed the rock aside and red light flooded the interior of the cave. Inside Knight could discern what looked like the inside of a jail cell. "I can go no further" Seth said, "I intend not to get caught this time; you'll find Raven deeper in." Seth gestured to the opening, then he turned and left, feeling his way through the darkness of the passage.

Knight stood alone until the sound of Seth's movements faded away into the distance. It was a relief, as Knight half expected Seth to stab him in the back. Once again he was left in solace, a lone wolf as he Knight had always been. He strode up to the opening and peered inside, he could hear what sounded like screams coming from further up the passage way, but no one was nearby. Carefully he stepped through the opening into the cell. It hadn't been occupied in some time. The walls were made of what looked like field stones mortared together, a chair of spikes sat in the center. Other than that, the blood red interior was devoid of anything else. The front wall was formed of iron bars, which Knight easily sliced through. He cringed as the iron rods clattered to the ground, but nothing leapt out to attack him. "Raven" he whispered, "Raven!" yet there was no reply. As inconspicuously as was humanly possible for a man clad in tall black armor Knight edged his way through the subterranean tunnels, the prisoners must be kept on higher levels, because the passageways he crept though were silent and unoccupied. Still, Knight felt uneasy. He was in the belly of the beast and yet he had encountered no resistance, perhaps Trigon had not anticipated that he would have made it this far. _But isn't Trigon all-seeing? _Knight thought. Up ahead there was a corner; carefully he pressed himself against the wall, peering ever so slightly past its edge, so as not to reveal himself. A guard stood watch; it was made of fire and clad in thick iron armor. The monster sported four red eyes as everything here seemed to and stood ten feet tall, wielding a massive spear. It glanced in his direction and Knight quickly withdrew, hoping he had avoided its gaze. _How am I going to beat this thing? _Knight thought.

The armor must have been protected by some sort of magic; otherwise it would be super heated by the demon's own fire. Knight glanced passed the corner once more, hoping to discern some weakness in the creature's defense. But when he looked, the monster was gone. Knight was puzzled for a moment, but then the creature suddenly filled his field of view as he towered above him, with a mighty sweep of its spear the demon sent Knight flying to the ground, a full 30 feet from where he had stood. Shaken, but not intimidated he stood up and drew his blade, taking a defense stance. But still he felt a ping of doubt, how was he going to kill a living fire? He didn't have much time to contemplate a strategy before the guard was upon him. Knight side stepped his adversary's charge and swung at the back of its leg. The armor was undamaged, but for a moment it glowed bright red. Knight's attack had temporarily disrupted its protective magic. The glow faded within seconds, and once more Knight was sent flying by a colossal blow from his enemy. He spun end over end to through the air until his flight was cut short as Knight slammed into the wall, the stone cracking underneath him. Had he not added the proper padding beneath his armor the impact probably would have killed him. Even still Knight was dazed and the world swirled around him as he slid to the floor. He wondered where he was for a moment, and then he realized what was happening as he saw a fuzzy image of the demon charging at him, spear pointed forward. At the last moment Knight swung his sword up, catching his enemy's spear with the cross guard of his weapon. The point was long and thin, small enough to slip in through Knight's visor slit and end his life. Knight held on with all his might, fighting against the massive force of the demon; whose spear loomed ever closer to his visor. The foul creature's strength was enormous and Knight was losing ground, but he was getting angrier. He could feel it coming on, his gift from the Vikings; the boiling blood, the berserker rage.

Knight began to growl like a wolf, pushing back with all his strength. His growl became a roar, a cry of war as Knight finally pushed away the spear. The demon recoiled and hesitated, its eyes betrayed the hint of fear that the demon felt at Knight's newfound rage. The pause was only for a moment before the guard thrust the point of his weapon at Knight once more. He sidestepped and brought his greatsword down upon the wooden haft of the spear and relieved it of its metal head. "Now we begin again!" Knight shouted and he struck Trigon's minion a hefty blow across its helmet. Once again the magic was broken for just a moment and the iron glowed a bright orange. An idea was born in Knight's mind, even better; a plan. The creature attempted to use what was left of its spear as a quarter staff, but Knight easily avoided the unskillful attack. With his greatsword he struck a blow at the knee joint of the demon's armor. It burned bright red and as it did so, Knight struck again in the same place with a great _thwack! _The heated iron was thick but it deformed a bit at his strike. Knight smiled, _Time for some reverse armoring_ he thought to himself. Then the two combatants began a deadly dance of attack and defend. Each time he was given an opening, Knight would land two staccato blows one after another in the same place. The carefully engineered plates the interlocked and allowed leg mobility began to warp and bend with each blow. At first they grew stiffer and stiffer; until finally the armor was damaged so badly that the plates refused to move, compromising the mobility of the demon's right leg. The unearthly guard roared in anger and struck a clumsy attack Knight, dragging its right leg. Knight leapt to the side and his berserker rage filled him, again and again he swung his mighty weapon at the elbow plates of the demon's right arm. The empty halls rang with the _TING! TING! TING! _of metal on metal. Finally, Knight stood triumphant over his foe. The guard lay on the ground, trapped in his own suit of metal that refused to move, like an iron coffin. The Viking rage left him, and it once more dawned on Knight why he was here, he turned to the cell that the demon had been guarding. In the gloom he could see the fire of the torches reflecting off the shined titanium of Raven's armor.


	7. Chapter 7

**I've dealt with demons…**

**Chapter 7**

Knight ran over to her, with two great sweeps of his mighty greatsword the bars of her prison clattered to the floor. Raven was chained between two pillars, her helmeted head drooped and she was unconscious, but breathing. Carefully the armored warrior cut away her metal restraints and she fell in a heap, but Knight caught her in his arms; lowering to one knee with her head resting on his thigh. To his relief Raven stirred and groggily her head turned to face his own. "Knight?" she asked weakly. "Tears in his eyes Knight cupped her helmet "Raven, are you alright? Did they hurt you?!" He helped her up to a standing position and she spoke once more. "I'm fine; I've just been chained up for awhile. How… how did you find me? How did you even get here?" Knight glanced around, the movement looked almost nervous but his expression was a mystery underneath his greathelm. Satisfied that no one was around, he reached into the leather pouch at his side and withdrew a small, blood red stone. _Yes, foolish one _Trigon thought _in that armored shell you are blinded by your one weakness, your love. In my true form the portal is too small, but with Raven as my Trojan horse; you will destroy everything you love and you are so blissfully unaware!_ "Raven?" Knight asked. "What? Oh, right, what were you saying?" Raven seemed to snap out of a trance and Knight raised an eyebrow. "I was saying that I… persuaded, Mother Mae Eye to give me this little trinket. She said that I would need someone with magical abilities to use it. That's where you come in, can you work it?" Raven nodded, "quickly, give it here" and she made a grab for the stone. Her armored companion was a bit taken aback by her strange behavior. "No, Raven we have to get back to where I first arrived, otherwise we could return the world in some random place." Again Raven tried to take the stone from Knight, "it doesn't matter; now give me that stone!" This time Knight was slightly angered, he firmly grabbed her hand at the wrist and slid the stone into his pouch. "Raven, look I know you want to leave, but the middle of the ocean, or inside a rock; we could end up anywhere if we're not careful. We are going back from whence I came and that is final." Finished, he turned and started backup the hallway, though in his mind, Knight couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong; the more he thought about the more he began to suspect that all was not as it seemed. _Insolent worm! _Trigon exclaimed in his mind, _were I not so weak in this body I would crush you! So be it, I'll play you little game. _"Raven" Knight asked. "Why does my sword no longer work? It hasn't burned near any demons." Raven crossed her arms, "You are in Trigon's domain. The blade has no power here." Knight's eyes narrowed, the way Raven said that, it sounded almost as though she was boasting. He shook the feeling off and continued up the hall.

"In here" Knight gestured to the cell in which their exit lay. Moments later they were both feeling their way through the darkness. _Ungh! _Raven tripped over something and Knight carefully edged his way back to her, "What is it?" He helped her up and to his surprised she was covered in blood. He was frightened for a moment, but then he realized the blood was not her own. "You tripped over the corpse of… well I'm not sure exactly what, some demon I slew earlier." He shined his flashlight upon the corpse of the spider creature; it sat still as stone in its own blood, an awful sight to behold. For a moment or two the armored companions stared at its grotesque form; then Knight turned and once more continued down the narrowing path. Raven walked up to the corpse, "failure" she muttered under her breath._ I knew you were worth nothing to me Arachna. _The words echoed in Raven's hijacked mind. "Come on!" Knight yelled back at her, gesturing with his hand for her to follow. She scowled at the fallen creature and hurried after him. After what seemed like an eternity, the two stepped out of the cave into the blood red light; it was hardly comforting, but at least they once more could see. "All right then, the stone?" Raven asked. Knight turned to face her, now he knew something was amiss. Raven would never be so incessant, "one question" Knight asked. "Who gave me the scar down my right eye?" his face was hidden behind his helm. "Easy" Raven said confidently, "Seth" _Gotcha _Knight thought, he didn't have a scar down his right eye, it was his left. The real woman he had come to love would have known that.

In a flash he leapt forward, catching Raven off her guard as he pulled the helmet from her head. Four red eyes narrowed in his direction and she hissed like a snake. Tongues of black energy lashed out from her hand and Knight was thrown from his feet, landing ten feet away. "Fool! Now I must destroy you!" When she spoke, Raven's voice had multiple levels; both Raven and Trigon spoke in an ugly unison. Knight was horrified by her transformation. He stood but did not draw his weapon, only taking a fighting stance. "What's the matter?" Raven asked, she rose into the air, her cloak extending until she towered above him, tendrils of dark energy flowing from beneath her; "afraid to destroy that which is most important to you?" She viciously struck at him once more but Knight dodged the attack, He did not draw his weapon, what could he do? "You cannot prevail, you will not harm my daughter, and you can't leave without her help. Give me the stone and perhaps I will let you have her back. You can wander the wastes with your sweet Raven whilst I rule your world!" With seemingly impossible speed Knight drew his crossbow. Energy flew towards him and he threw himself to the side, rolling and coming up on one knee, crossbow aimed. The bolt had an electrical net that was designed to stun the target. He took carful aim and squeezed the trigger, sending its payload forward. The bolt moved at a blur but Raven struck it out of the air with her power. She roared a demonic cry ad rose further into the air; her arms spread wide apart, fingers out stretched. An evil laugh echoed from Raven's lips and energy surged all around her. More tentacles of dark energy raced towards Knight, entwining around his body, seeping into every nook and cranny in his armor, crushing him. He struggled against his bonds but it did little good as Raven pulled him closer and closer. The pressure grew greater and he could barely breathe as Raven pulled his helmeted head to her face, eye to eye. "Die now, in vain armored one. I commemorate your courage." Finally Knight let out the breath he had been holding, earning him just enough slack to pull his right arm free. He swung his arm forward, placing his two forefingers on Raven's temple, "no!" she screamed. Knight concentrated hard, Raven had poked around in his head on a few occasions; he had to hope they had some sort mental connection he could tap into. More and more he tried while Raven did her best to pull him free, then everything went dark and Knight lost consciousness.

_Did it work? _Knight thought as he opened his eyes. The sky was different; it was sort of like outer space, but with a multitude of red stars. He sat up and looked around. _Am I dead? _He thought. It didn't feel like the last time he died, maybe he was inside Raven's mind, he didn't really know what to expect; though he wasn't expecting sunshine and daisies. "Wassup!" Knight's field of view was suddenly filled by… Raven? Except she was wearing pink and her voice sounded playful and happy. An extroverted Raven, this was weird. "Am I dead?" Knight asked, raising an eyebrow. The strange incarnation of Raven stood back, and Knight could see she was wearing Raven's armor up to her neck, but to his horror it was pink. "Nope, you're in my head silly!" she walked up to him, and without warning plucked the dagger from his belt and ran down a stony path to her left, giggling as she did so. "Hey, wait!" Knight shouted after her, running down the stones. It looked as though the path ended into blackness, but strange rocks floated into place, constantly extending it just ahead of Raven. He ran faster and faster, until finally he caught up with her, hastily taking back his dagger and shoving it back in his belt. Raven giggled, "that was fun, well, see ya!" and with that she began to levitate away. "Wait! I need-"Knight called, but he got no answer. _Must be happy Raven, a part of her personality, like in my own mind._ Of course now he was back to square one, lost in his friend's mind.


	8. Chapter 8

**I've dealt with demons…**

**Chapter 8**

Knight had been searching for hours now. The good news was that he had located most of Raven's emotions. Unfortunately, trying to find and keep all of them in a single group is somewhat akin to herding cats. Anger was constantly snapping at everyone and thus clashing with calm, and timid absolutely HAD to apologize for everything she had ever done wrong, no matter how insignificant. Happy was always running off and making mischief and love would act as though the world itself was going to implode if she and Knight weren't constantly holding hands. They still had to find immature, smart and brave. Knight was beginning to reach his boiling point. "How can you even stand to look at me?" timid cried, "I am so sorry, I shouldn't have touched your sword without asking first." Knight sighed. _Just ignore them _he thought as he trudged along. Anger was as fed up as Knight was and she screamed at timid, "Will you STOP APOLOGIZING!?" Timid looked as though she had just been told to jump off a cliff, her eyes began to water. Calm's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to tune out the world, quietly meditating in her brown cloak as she floated cross-legged at the back of the group. Love continued to recite poetry as she clutched Knight's right arm with all her might. Out of nowhere happy burst out laughing and ran past Knight, but he caught her cloak with his hand, stopping her escape. He sighed and stopped, and then he collected himself, turning to face the Ravens. "Happy! This mission is important; you need to stay with the group. Timid, I hereby forgive you of every transgression you have ever committed against me ever, no matter how severe you think it may be. Anger: control yourself damn it!"

Thankfully, the following minutes of their journey was far more pleasant after a firm talking to, until Knight came upon… a door? In the middle of a rock face was situated a door marked "Raven", not unlike the one in Titan's tower. It was weird, but still he had to press on, and he opened it. Inside lay the main room of Titans tower… sort of. The entire place was a mess, orange cloaks and pieces of armor lay strewn about, alongside several derelict bags of chips and soda cans. From further in Knight heard a loud belch. It came from behind the sofa that sat in front of a huge flat screen TV. He advanced, his armored boots or sabatons as they were called crunched on bits of trash. In the sofa sat another incarnation of Raven, defiantly immature Raven. She was asleep, wearing a few random pieces of her armor, the television remote in her hand. Immature snored was snoring loudly as Knight leaned down and gently shook her shoulder, doing his best to rouse his companion. "Who- what the hell?" immature stirred and her eyes groggily opened. "Raven?" Knight asked. "You'd better have a good reason for getting me up this early tin-man!" Raven sat up and yawned, her breath was foul. "Get up, we have to go and defeat Trigon" Knight explained. Immature just cocked her head at him, "I don't wanna do that!" she leaned to the side a little and gazed upon all the other emotions, who stood impatiently at the head of the room. "Damn" she said, "you actually managed to get the girl scouts together, impressive." Anger called back after them, "hurry up let's go!" Immature just began to pick at her teeth with her pinky finger, "Not my problem sweet cheeks." Anger's four red eyes narrowed and she growled like an animal. Knight was begging to lose patience, "what do you mean it's not your problem, ITS YOUR MIND! We need to kick Trigon out and you are going to help whether you want to or not!" he yelled. Minutes more passed of bickering before immature finally conceded, "Fine, fine; I'll go with your little posse, but only cause' I think you're cute under all that metal." With a lot of grunting and complaining, immature got up. As she did so she slapped Knight on the armor over his buttocks. He stiffened and raised an eyebrow, but held his tongue.

A little while later they were on the road again, though it took time for immature to collect and don the pieces of her orange armor, which had lain helter-skelter about her room. _Thank God! _Knight thought has he rounded a corner to find both brave and smart; they were clearly arguing. "A full frontal assault is suicide" explained smart as she adjusted her glasses. "I have read many of Knight's books on warfare, and we need to be smart about this!" Brave was clad in green and she brushed smart off, "That's non-sense, we can take him, come on!" Brave tried to escape but smart stepped in her path blocking her exit. "I'm serious, we need some sort of strategy!" she cried. "I have a strategy" Knight said as he stepped into view, "but I am going to need to talk to Raven." "I'm right here!" the Ravens said in unison. Knight sighed, "CONGLAMERATE Raven" he exclaimed. He stepped aside and allowed the rest of Raven's incarnations into the room. They all began to group together, forming a circle. Love lagged behind and took Knight's hand. A tear fell from her eye as she stared back at him, "good bye" she said, and then she took off his helmet and kissed him as though it was the last time they would ever see each other, grasping his head in her hands. After her over-dramatic embrace she left and joined the circle. All of them began to chant in unison, _azuras mentreon zyntos, azuras mentreon zyntos. _Each of them interlocked hands, and then they rose into the air slightly. Still they chanted on as the circle hovered, then it began to spin. Round and round it went, faster and faster until each Raven was a blur of color. Then the voices seemed to melt into each other and the circle tightened. Smaller and faster it grew until finally there was a bright flash of light; the brightness subsided and there was Raven. She stood for only a moment before she sighed and fainted, falling to one side. Knight ran over and caught her in his arms. It was Raven; plain old Raven, wearing a blue cloak and shiny black armor.

A moment passed and then Raven's helmeted head moved to one side and she stirred. Knight looked down, relieved until he received a hard a smack across his unarmored face. "You idiot" Raven said "you entered my father's realm!" _Yup _Knight thought _good old Raven. _He helped his friend up, "pardon my faithfulness" Knight replied. Raven was still angry with him for doing something so stupid, "How did you even get here?" she asked. Knight just shrugged, "Mother Mae-eye was kind enough to help me." Raven's face fell, but it was hidden behind her helm. "Please tell me she didn't give you a small red stone with a black center." Knight nodded. "You fool!" Raven explained "with that stone Trigon can return to the realm of mortals!" Suddenly it all made sense, Knight's face lit up in understanding. "That is why he needed you, to trick me into bringing him the stone. But now that I know of his treachery, and I have entered your mind, we can expel him from your consciousness." Raven crossed her arms, with a small clink of metal on metal. "Easier said than done he's too-""There you are!" Trigon suddenly manifested himself right above them, he was huge; as tall as a sky scraper and his four eyes narrowed in the direction of Knight and Raven.

He clenched a mighty fist and brought it down, "look out!' Knight yelled and he ran into Raven, knocking her out of harm's way. In a flash the two were up, bolts of dark energy flew from Ravens hand and Knight drew his crossbow, letting fly explosive bolts that blew up in Trigon's face. He merely laughed at their petty attempts to defy him, "foolish mortals!" he roared "I am evil incarnate! You cannot possibly hope to defeat my power." With that his eyes began to glow, and pillars of red light poured from them. As the energy struck the ground there was a massive explosion and Knight and Raven were flung to the side, landing under a rocky out cropping. The air was filled with dust, concealing the heroes from view. "Come out and face your doom!" Trigon shouted, unaware of their location. The earth shook with every one of his giant steps as he searched for his adversaries. Pebbles and debris pinged off Raven and Knight's armor as they fell from the rocky ceiling above them. Knight pressed himself against the rock wall and turned to Raven, "I can't fight him like this, but he's still in your mind. Can you weaken him? Make him smaller?" His companion concentrated for a moment, but then shook her head. "I can't" she explained "he's too strong!" Knight thought for a moment. "What about me?" he asked "can you make me stronger, or at least large enough for me to fight him?" Again Raven shook her head, "you couldn't possibly best him; but… I know a spell, it might expel him from my mind, but it's lengthy." Knight was undeterred, "how much time do you need?" Raven bit her lip slightly, "ten minutes, maybe eight at best." Knight's face was determined as he put on his helmet, "It's yours" he said.

Knight stepped out into the open, drawing his greatsword. At the same time, Raven held out her hand, drawing out Knight's inner energy. Her energy always took the form of a raven, but when she began to use her influence on Knight the power took a different form. Knight's energy assumed the likeness of a massive wolf, with a scar down its eye. The animal incarnation flowed from his heart and grew larger and larger until there was a bright flash of light. Trigon roared his fury as the light nearly blinded him. When he finally looked again he was faced with Knight, though this time he stood just as tall as Trigon did. Knight's new form was not solid, but rather the armored warrior was made up of dark energy. The wolf that had sprung from his body earlier was now emblazoned on his breast plate; howling up at the sky with the scar down its eye. With his new body Knight drew his greatsword; it burned with power as he took his stance, leveling the blade before him. "Insolent worm" Trigon roared, "your doom is sealed!" From his hand sprung a sword of fire and the dark lord swung viscously at Knight, beginning the battle that would decide the fate of all mortals.


	9. Chapter 9

**I've dealt with demons…**

**Chapter 9- the Fate of all Mortals**

Raven had never seen Knight truly let himself go fully berserker before. True, he had used the power his rage afforded him to his advantage in battle, but the armored warrior devoted much of his time to meditating on restraint, so that he did not lose control in his berserker state. Now however, he fought against evil itself and in his enlarged form he let the Viking rage take control. It was an awesome sight as he struck left, then right, all in the blink of an eye. Even the mighty Trigon, with all his power and superhuman reflexes was forced on the defensive beneath the onslaught of Knight; the scared wolf. Raven had no time to stop and stare; she had a job to do. The spell she needed was powerful, but difficult and lengthy, a task made nearly impossible as the earth shook with every blow swung in the colossal battle above her.

"You cannot best me!" Trigon roared, his eyes once more flashed red and deadly energy poured from them, striking Knight in the chest. He cried out in pain and stumbled back. Trigon saw his opportunity and brought forth his sword of flame, landing Knight a mighty blow across the top of his helm. Again Trigon came around with his blade, attempting to thrust it deep into his adversary, but Knight recoiled and put his own greatsword in the path of the flaming sword. Trigon's weapon slid down the length of the great weapon until Knight jerked his sword sideways, trapping Trigon's cursed blade and wrenching his entire arm at an unnatural angle. With his free hand Trigon brought his fist forward with blinding speed, punching the hero in his arm and breaking free of Knight's grasp. The two bitter enemies stepped back and for a moment there was a lull in the action, until Trigon aimed a thrust at Knight's mid-section and once more their conflict began anew.

Meanwhile, Raven was doing her best to cast the spell that end the colossal struggle above her. _Planum tollit huic malo non reddere rursus_ she chanted the ancient words of power hastily, the spell she had cast in order to draw out Knight's energy would not last forever, even now she could sense it failing. _Just a little longer_ Raven thought. The two giant combatants filled the sky above her with their massive forms. Trigon struck all around, his blood red form was a blur with motion. Amazingly the glowing black form of Knight managed to match his inhuman pace, blocking and returning blows with all the fury of a thousand men. Both of them struck a vicious attack at each other at the same time, ending in a stalemate, their blades locked together. "You will fall this day!" Knight yelled through gritted teeth. Suddenly, Trigon withdrew and swung at a Knight's left flank. "Oblivion take you!" he shouted as his impossibly fast blow struck home. There was a deafening crash and the wind was knocked out of Knight, even in his powerful form he could feel bones cracking in his ribcage. The scared wolf on his breast plate began to fade, and the energy that had glowed around him imploded. The black aura fell and all that was left was Knight, six feet tall as he flew the air, flung from the force of Trigon's attack. He fell through the darkness of Raven's mind, flung off the rocky surface that had held him up. Trigon bellowed a roaring laugh as he stared down at his now small and insignificant enemy as he tumbled into nothingness.

Knight was in a strange state of semi conciseness. Blackness crept in around the edges of his vision. Everything seemed to happen in super slow motion as he struggled to remember where he was. When he coughed, he tasted blood and the armored warrior was suddenly aware of a shooting pain in his left side. Then, all of a sudden, his eyes widened and he remembered everything. In a flash Knight drew his crossbow and hastily crammed a grappling bolt into it. He had only seconds as he aimed upwards, towards Trigon's laughing form. It brought great pain as he raised his arm but he fired anyway, smiling as the three-pronged bolt flew upwards towards Trigon's head. Trigon's face fell as he realized that his victory had not yet been sealed, and he was even less amused as a sharp crossbow bolt buried itself in his lower left eye. He roared in page and anger, clutching his bleeding face as he stumbled back. As Trigon recoiled, the force jerked Knight up and over, back onto the rocky island. Trigon yelled again and swung his fist at Raven, she dodged but it was too late. The spell she had been trying to cast was broken as was her concentration. "No!" she screamed. Moments later Knight came jogging up to her, blood pouring from a seam in his armor, "Knight!" she gasped. The warrior brushed it off, "forget about me, we're going to have to fight Trigon the old fashioned way." Raven was still disheartened, "we can't" she explained, "he's too strong." Knight placed a hand on her shoulder, "we can" he said, staring into her visor slit. A moment passed and then Raven collected herself, "we can" she answered, placing her trust in her companion.

Knight nodded and then turned to Trigon, who was bearing down on the two. He was truly enraged as he stomped around, doing his best to crush the heroes. Skillfully, Raven and Knight avoid his attempts to destroy them. The two darted all about, Raven hurled her power at him while Knight cut away at the flesh of his lower leg. For a third time Trigon let loose a barrage of energy that threatened to obliterate the valiant duo. But their armor held fast and shielded them from the ray's deadly effects. "Raven!" Knight shouted and ran over to her, "Can you get me up to his face?" Raven looked up; Trigon towered above her like an angry skyscraper. She nodded and Knight sheathed his greatsword. Raven thrust out her arm, fingers outstretched, and as she did so a pillar of dark energy shot up from the ground like a wraith, knocking Knight into the air. Knight's form floated in the air in a horizontal position for but a moment before Raven moved both her hands in a circle, the resulting power spinning him. Lastly, Raven jumped slightly and kicked, sending her companion spinning away at blinding speed, straight for his enemy. While he was in the air the armored warrior drew his dagger as he flew along like a bullet. Trigon's roaring face grew nearer and nearer until finally Knight lashed out with his weapon, burying it deep into the side of Trigon's head. The dark lord cried out in rage and pain once more as the dagger struck home. Knight lost his momentum and hung off his blade, which was lodged in the side of Trigon's head. Suddenly, his field of view was filled by Trigon's massive blood red hand. The villain attempted to crush Knight like a mosquito but at the last moment the hero let himself fall. He released his grip on the dagger and plummeted for a few feet, and then Knight kicked off the side of Trigon's hand and landed inside his massive ear. Angered beyond the point of all reason Trigon did his best to dislodge his adversary, but Knight held fast and moved deeper within his head. "Fool!" Trigon roared, "Withdraw from my cranium and I promise you a quick death!" Knight took out his small quiver of crossbow bolts. He carefully selected all the explosive, electrical, freezing, even smoke bolts and tossed them on the ground deep inside Trigon's head. Knight picked up one explosive bolt and held it in the air. He flicked the timer, five seconds. As fast as he could the armored warrior ran and leaped out of his enemy's head. "What have you done?!" Trigon roared as Knight flew through the air, "Boom" Knight said. There was a massive explosion and Trigon screamed in anguish. Blood and bits of bone and tissue spewed from inside his ear, showering the ground in a grizzly rain fall. His screams continued even as he began to crumple to the ground. Knight fell for what seemed like an eternity, then he drew his greatsword and buried deep into a cliff face beside him.

Finally, the endless screams ceased, as Trigon died the entire place was flooded with a blinding red light, Knight closed his eyes to shield them from the brilliance. When he opened them again, he had returned to the real world. Knight was once more in his own body, and as he came to he was acutely aware of Raven's hands around his armored throat. He heard a gasp escape Raven's lips and she withdrew. Knight drew his sword and took an offensive stance towards her, "what was the name of my deceased girlfriend?" he asked something only Raven would know. She brushed herself off; "Christina" she responded as she leaned over and scooped her helmet off the ground. Knight relaxed and sheathed his weapon, "is Trigon dead?" he asked. Raven shook her now helmeted head, "no, you have merely displaced him from my mind and-"her explanation was cut short by a thunderous roar. Trigon was running towards them, hatred in his eyes. "Oh sh-"Knight began before Raven grabbed him and threw the man onto a platform of dark energy. She was jumping on just as Knight stood up and it was mere moments before they were flying along, Trigon bearing down on them from behind. Trigon's eyes began to glow and Knight knew what was coming. In an effort to stop the dark lord, Knight reached into his quiver of bolts, selecting a smoke round. Loading his crossbow with impossible speed he thrust the bolt into place and pointed it at his enemy's massive form. A slight squeeze of the trigger and the projectile was sent flying forward. It hit Trigon directly in his face, sticking deeply into his flesh and spewing black smoke from its other end. He shouted in fury as his vision was compromised. "Up here!" Knight shouted as the two rounded the corner to the clearing where he had first arrived. In a flash they dismounted the platform and it disappeared. "Raven, take this!" Knight said and he hastily shoved the small stone into her hands. Trigon was still stumbling blindly after them like a drunken mountain as Raven began to say strange words of power and her eyes glowed brightly. "Raven" Knight said through gritted teeth as the dark lord grew ever nearer. "Got it!" she finally exclaimed as the gateway opened and she hastily shoved him inside.

Moments later Knight fell onto the floor of Mother Mae eye's cottage and Raven fell on top of him. There was a small pop as the portal closed. "Hello!" Mae eye exclaimed, "I see your back from your adventure. Would you like some pie?" Raven got up and brushed herself off, "no" she said flatly. She held out her hand to Knight and gave him a hand up. He stood and walked over to the door, holding it open for his companion. "Remember!" Mae eye called after them, "mother loves you!" Knight just grimaced under his helm and fainted drawing his weapon as he walked out, he could see the fear in the villain's eyes. His motorcycle lay waiting for him, a lance at its side. He straddled the _Warhorse_ and gestured for Raven to do the same, but she stood her ground. "Knight" Raven asked, removing her helmet. She sighed, "I… I don't know how to put this, but… why? Why come after me; you nearly got yourself killed at least a dozen times, faced many of your worst fears, and risked imprisonment in hell itself just to get me back. Before you, no one even wanted me around; why risk so much?" Knight was puzzled, it was simply in his nature to risk his own neck for others, but Raven was right, that rescue was absolutely insane. He thought for a moment, and then took off his helmet, revealing his face, and the scar down his left eye. "Raven" he began, "perhaps it is merely what the heavens have decided, but just to be in your presence is… it's everything I'll ever need. If you'll notice, everything I knew and loved is dead; the titans, you, your all I have left. And I'll be damned if anything short of the apocalypse can drive a wedge between us." Raven gave him a rare smile and took her seat behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso, Knight always had a habit of saying exactly what needed to be said exactly when it needed to be said. He put on his helmet with the shining brass cross on its face and Raven in turn donned her own helm; its beautiful gothic curves shielding her from harm within its confines. "You know" Knight said, "Before we go back and I get chewed out by Robin for abandoning the mission, you wanna stop for some ice cream?" Raven nodded and they sped off, it was like she had always thought; her lover had a habit of saying exactly what needed to be said exactly when it needed to be said.


	10. Chapter 10

**I've dealt with demons…**

**Chapter 10- epilogue**

"It looks good" Raven said as she watched Knight, he was painting a round Viking shield. On it was a wolf; it bore a scar down its eye as it howled up at the moon. Nordic winds swirled around the solitary animal in the dead of the night. With a few more brush strokes Knight was finished, it was his symbol. The very same form that his inner energy had taken, much the same way Raven's energy always took the form of the iconic black bird that was her namesake. He stepped back to look at his work. His head was unarmored and Raven could discern his expression, he looked satisfied with the image. "How mad was Robin with you for going AWOL?" Raven asked. Knight shrugged, "he wasn't, I guess he figured I did what I had to do." Raven put her hand on his shoulder, "That was awfully stupid of you, but either way, thank you for coming after me." She drew him to her and kissed him lightly. When they stepped apart from each other Knight smiled, and yet, Raven could tell in his eyes that something was still amiss.

"I have a bit of an errand to run" Knight said as he picked his helmet up off an adjacent table and tucked it under his arm, "I shall return in a few hours." With that, he turned and walked out the door, leaving Raven alone. _An errand? _Raven wondered, _what could Knight possibly have to do? _It was probably against her better judgment, but Raven decided to trail Knight. She had been inside of his mind and yet still much of him was a mystery, his past was shrouded and he rarely discussed it; even to her. If there was an opportunity to learn, then Raven had to take it. Hastily she donned her black helmet and ran down to the garage. She got there just as Knight was speeding away. He wasn't going all that fast and so Raven flew after him, keeping pace just out of sight. Stealthily she followed him; he weaved through the city and past its limit, following a road out to the east. He rode for maybe an hour until he came upon an old looking general store. It was a wood building, painted a pine green. The place was open and Knight pulled up and into the parking lot. He dismounted the _Warhorse_ and nodded to an old man who sat in a rocking chair on the porch. Oddly enough, the man didn't seem at all surprised to see a fully armored knight walk into the store. Instead he just stared off into the distance, rocking back and forth whilst he smoked an old mahogany colored pipe. Wisps of sweet smelling smoke rose from the pipe and drifted over to Raven where she hid. Knight wasn't in the store long, and before ten minutes had passed he came out again, holding several bouquets of flowers. This was even more puzzling, Knight definitely wasn't the flower type. He placed the colorful plants in his lap as he once again straddled his bike.

For hours more he rode through the landscape. Raven had a hard time staying out of sight, though she managed. Finally, they came upon a town. The place was relatively small, and as Knight rode past Raven saw a large billboard, it bore a picture of Knight in an older armor and read, "welcome to Pottsville, home of the modern knight." Knight shook his head as he passed the sign. _So this is where it happened_ Raven thought. They didn't actually enter the town, Knight stopped before that. He turned into a parking lot; it led to a grave yard. It was an empty place, unoccupied as Knight opened the large iron gate with a prolonged creak. The sky above was clear, and the blazing sun shone against the brilliant blue of the heavens; head stones bearing the names of the deceased where situated all around, dotting the landscape with grey slabs against the green grass. It was a quiet place; the only sound other than Knight was the soft breeze blowing through the trees that bordered the yard. A path ran into the forest, off to the side and it was this stony road that the armored warrior chose. Raven continued to follow him through the trees until he came upon a clearing. Out of the clearing rose a hill, with a stone mausoleum at its top. The small building was adorned with a beautiful life size statue of an angel. In its arms it held the bible as the angel looked upward into the heavens, beautiful wings sprouting from its back. Above a gothic style wooden door was a name inscribed in the stone, "Sobieski." From within his leather pouch Knight withdrew a small brass key, which he then inserted into the lock and opened the door, closing it behind him and disappearing from view.

Without a sound, Raven gently floated over to the small mausoleum and hovered above its roof. She placed her sleek armored hand onto the surface and concentrated. Within moments the roof shifted, and a portal of dark energy lay swirling before her. The hero put her head into the portal and right through the building, as though she were ethereal. From her vantage point Raven was above Knight's field of view, and she could see everything inside. The place was small; the inside was made of large grey stones, much like a castle. Five spaces were cut into the walls, and on them were coffins; each casket bore the name of one of Knight's immediate family members. Dead flowers were laid out over the tops, and Raven watched her friend brush the deceased plants off and replace them with the fresh ones he had bought. There were four coffins, but after Knight had replaced all the flowers, he still had one bouquet left. The fifth space was unoccupied; above it was inscribed his former name "Andrew Sobieski." It must have been placed there beforehand, and yet, Knight turned and placed the last of his flowers at the empty space. Raven could read his mind, _Seth was right _Knight thought; _you're the most dead of all_. He kneeled down before his family, silently praying for a moment. After a while he stood and sighed, "I'm leaving the past behind; Raven" he said. "Andrew Sobieski died the day I killed another human being. I am a new man." The stealthy hero's eyes widened, how did Knight know she had been there? Either way, she floated down beside him, taking his hand in her own. "Come on" she said, "Let's get back to the tower." With that said, they returned to their home together, leaving the past behind them.


End file.
